


She Fills Up Every Corner Like She's Born In Black & White

by redbrunja



Category: Emma - Jane Austen, Emma Approved
Genre: AU, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2053326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbrunja/pseuds/redbrunja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex set his beer on the nearest flat surface and headed across the room the first time one of his fellow frat brothers put his punk hand on Emma's ass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Fills Up Every Corner Like She's Born In Black & White

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mollivanders](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollivanders/gifts).



> mollivanders requested Emma/Knightley, fake dating, which I really feel kind of requires a modern AU. Inspiration for the details of this AU are from here: http://redbrunja.tumblr.com/post/78407103173/lulabo-freshman-emma-woodhouse-and-senior-alex

Alex set his beer on the nearest flat surface and headed across the room the first time one of his fellow frat brothers put his punk hand on Emma's ass.

 

The room was crowded, so he had time to watch Emma bat the hand away, laugh it off. Drunk frat bro wasn't taking no for an answer, though, decided to grab Emma's hand, try to yank her into his lap. He was too drunk to manage it; Emma twisted her wrist away, faked another laugh and then saw Alex as she tried to sidle away.

 

Whatever she saw on his face made her eyes widen and she started shaking her head at him.

 

"Hey, asshole," he said to the drunk bro, and then Emma threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his torso, laughing like a manic pixie.

 

"There's my boyfriend," she said loudly, "now I have to go, with my boyfriend, we need to go be a couple over... there..." she started tugging him towards the balcony.

 

Alex planted his feet.

 

"Don't you dare embarrass me," Emma hissed at him, no humor in her voice at all. "Don't you _dare_."

 

Alex didn't get how him punching out a drunk asshole would embarrass Emma, but he had no doubt she'd tell him exactly how. He wanted to do it anyway but Emma had a specific line to her jaw and wasn't kidding around with the way she was yanking at his jacket. It was probably a good idea to go with her. Still, Alex gave the frat bro a good, hard stare.

 

He let Emma tug him away, toward the balcony, memorizing the guy's face. He could always punch him later.

 

~~~

 

"You know, this is exactly like I always imagined dating you would be like," Alex said, much, much later, after he'd read her the riot act about not macing drunk punks who deserved it, being underage at a party with alcohol, and not letting him hit assholes who needed a punch in the face. Emma had ripped at him right back, talking about how she was going to be dealing with dicks who didn't understand "no" her whole life, and mace wasn't always the answer, and if she avoided places where people _might_ be assholes she's never leave the house, and fyi, she _liked_ parties.

 

"Fight, make-up, cuteness, repeat."

 

They were on the balcony, actually alone. Their fight had driven everyone else - the smokers,  even the couple determinedly making out in the corner, to find a different place to be.

 

"Hey, I am a _great_ girlfriend," Emma protested automatically. 

 

"Emma, going easy on a guy - _which is what you do–_ is not the same thing as being a great girlfriend."

 

"Shows what you know," Emma muttered, and then she sucked in a breath. "Wait a minute, you've thought about dating me? You thought dating me would involve arguing at parties?"

 

"Yeah," he agreed, after a long pause. And then making out at parties, and then making out in his dorm room. Emma would be acerbically adorable and sooner or even sooner they'd argue about something and then go back to kissing. And repeat.

 

Emma huffed, crossed her arms, and looked out over the balcony.

 

"Come on, Emma, we argue all the time," Alex cajoled, not totally getting why she was upset.

 

"Alex, no girl likes to hear that, hypothetically, she's be a terrible, argumentative girlfriend, okay? Protip."

 

"I like arguing with you," he argued. "Besides, if we were dating, making up would involve more kissing and less photos of cute baby animals."

 

"You don't like pictures of cute, baby animals!" Emma gasped, and then, "you think about kissing me?"

 

Only a lot.

 

He shrugged.

 

Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

 

"I think you should kiss me right now," she said.

 

"Well, I think that's a terrible-" Alex started, and then her mouth was on his, slick with gloss. Her tongue darted along the seam of his lips, and he opened his mouth to her, scarcely believing he'd managed even a moment of hesitation.

 

He put his hand around the back of her neck, slipped his tongue into her mouth, kissing her almost sloppily. It wasn't the kind of kiss that could be played off as casual later.

 

When they broke apart, both of them gasping, Emma's lips were pump, almost bruised. She had her hands fisted in his shirt, and her fingers tightened when they parted.

 

"I was right," she said, almost panting. "And you should kiss me again."


End file.
